METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Alexander, thank you for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.

How are you? How are things going so far this year?

ALEXANDER BACKLUND: 2018 is becoming our year. Fast. The time leading up to the release has been pretty hectic and I'm sort of feeling it, but at the same time it's super exciting to finally have the album out there for people to enjoy.

MPAP: We’ll bounce around and talk about a few things here and there, but first, let’s get to this; there is some big, big news in the Letters From The Colony camp recently. For everyone that doesn’t know, Letters From The Colony are a Swedish prog/extreme metal band and they just dropped some killer new music that hit the streets, the internet airwaves, and started pummeling everyone’s eardrums on February 16th. That new release is called Vignette and has been endlessly getting some great reviews. Also, one of the singles from Vignette, called "Terminus", is getting some major airtime on Liquid Metal, a popular Sirius XM satellite channel. Vignette isLetters From The Colony’s major debut, and was mastered by Jens Bogren who has also worked with Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Paradise Lost before is definitely getting everyone’s attention. So what else does everyone need to know about Vignette, and why do we need to hear it right away?

ALEXANDER: I think if people knew just how much work went into this release they would appreciate it more. We're a band that always puts 110% into everything we do, and from the start we've been of the mindset that we have to prove ourselves. We've practiced insane amounts to be able to actually play these songs back to back both live and in the studio. The scene is flooded with bands that record their riffs in one-note segments and then program the rest on a laptop. We've been down that rabbit hole before, and it's about as easy as it is boring. We wanted to be a real band that plays real songs on real instruments, so we took the road less traveled on this one and focused a lot on our playing. A lot of takes. Many, many hours. It's a huge part in the sound of Vignette, and perhaps the reason behind why a lot of "traditional" metal fans seem to enjoy it as well.

MPAP: Like everyone that creates and makes a product of something, your goal is to be able to sell it to be able to make another one, and another one, so on and so forth. So, let’s say I bumped into you at a record store in your hometown of Borlänge. If there isn’t a record store there, let’s pretend at least, for now, there is one and it just opened. I’m walking into the store, sell Vignette to me. What do you want to say to me to lure me to pick it up and look at it all the while keeping me interested in wanting to buy it?

ALEXANDER: Me: "Excuse me, sir. Have you ever orgasmed and defecated involuntarily at the same time? You: "No, I don't think that I have." Me: "What if I told you that you could have that experience for 55 minutes straight?" You: "Shut up and take my money." Me: *hands you copy of Vignette*

MPAP: Now that you’ve got my attention, tell me about some of the music I’ll find on Vignette? Tell me about some of the songs like "Terminus" and "Erasing Contrast"? What can everyone expect?

ALEXANDER: It's a "Best Of" record, really. Some of the songs were written during the early days of the band, and some songs got finished just before entering the studio. That's a time span of roughly 5 years. It wasn't that we couldn't write all new songs — we wanted to — but rather that we felt emotionally attached to some of the old tunes and wanted them out there for people to hear. Countless hours have gone into writing and perfecting such classics as "Galax" and "Sunwise" and it would be a shame to see them lost in the wake of a new album. We marry the old with the new, and hopefully people will enjoy the diverseness.

MPAP: The word vignette means a small illustration or portrait photograph that fades into its background without a definite border. Other than some of the band’s struggles and hardships over the past seven years, what else does vignette mean to you? Is there a message you’re trying to get across to every listener? What do you want them to gain after listening to it?

ALEXANDER: To me, vignette is mostly about the darkness around the edges. It's the storm cloud at the edge of the horizon. Our music might seem cheery at times with all the lush guitars and major chords, but there's a beautiful melancholy to it that really resonates with me. I could probably have tapped into that more when writing the lyrics, but this is a "big" album that required a broader concept. I touch on a lot of current topics. There's some stuff about the environment in there, and some stuff about the societal patterns you feel like you're only observing while everyone else are busy living them. There's some stuff about employment, religion and the end of the world — all fused with the existentialistic shit that I ponder on a daily basis.

MPAP: Some people that might pick up Vignette will automatically assume that you’ve been with the band and have been their vocalist since they formed back in 2010. That’s not the case. So, let’s get into that for a moment to get everyone on the same level, get everyone on the same page. During a tour sometime in 2014, with only two shows left in Stockholm on the horizon, Letters From TheColony was without a vocalist due to original vocalist Max Sundqvist being forced to leave the band due to personal reasons. The band started calling in favors, and since you were already well-acquainted with their music you were hired on as a stand-in for one of the Stockholm dates. And to top it all off, you had never played or rehearsed with the band prior to that night. Previously, you were only hired to mix and master their new music. So, what inspired you to want to become their vocalist, at least for that day anyway? I’m assuming it wasn’t because you wanted to build your resume. There had to be much more than that?

ALEXANDER: Prior to joining Letters From The Colony I was a free agent for a good few years. No band, no late night rehearsal sessions and no playing in front of 3 people at the pub in Whateversville every weekend. I told myself I didn't miss it, but after playing that one show I sort of realised that I did — I had just been in shit bands. I was morbidly addicted to guitar pedals at the time, and had I had a therapist back then she would have told me it was an attempt to fill the void left by not being a band. I have more than one string to my bow, I work at an agency as a web designer and at the same time I'm trying to build my reputation as an audio engineer. I'm a pretty busy guy, but joining Letters From The Colony still felt like a no-brainer. I have a huge respect for Sebastian as a songwriter, and pooling his skills with my experience felt like a recipe for success. And with all the guys in the band being some of my closest friends even prior to joining it just felt like coming home, you know.

MPAP: At any time before that day, had you wanted to be a singer in a band before and there was never a right moment, time and place until now?

ALEXANDER: No, but at one point I was trying to start a parody-power-metal act called Panzerdragon. I'm still a bit bummed about not getting that project off the ground, but Letters From The Colony is fine too I guess.

MPAP: Moving forward, not too many bands get their debut on a major label. That has got to be pretty exciting, and definitely well deserved. As things began to happen and you knew it was going to happen, what thoughts did you have going on in your head when you found out you were going to be signed by Nuclear Blast Records?

ALEXANDER: Definitely. We were sort of expecting to end up on a smaller label because of the experimental nature of the music, but we were surprised when most of them turned us down. I guess if I was the first person to hear Vignette, and I was in the position of a guy who's trying to sell records and T-shirts then I would probably turn us down too—not because I didn't like it, but because I couldn't tell you what the majority of people would think. A bigger label like Nuclear Blast has the experience and enough outreach to market niche music like ours, so it makes sense even though it felt pretty insane at the time. When we saw the first draft of the contract we just couldn't believe it. Not only would we be receiving expert help from some of the most seasoned professionals in the business, but we would get actual money. Not Lamborghini money, but still. When we signed the papers a few weeks later we still couldn't believe it. It took a while process for sure, but having worked together now for a few months we're just really grateful for everything they're doing for us. It's a huge relief to be able to delegate some of the 'boring' stuff and just focus on the music.

MPAP: I’m sure there was there a celebration correct?

ALEXANDER: Sebastian bought cigars.

MPAP: Some other big news recently in 2018 was the announcement that after one more final worldwide tour, the thrash metal legends Slayer are going to retire after being together for almost 40 years. When you look at what they’ve done, and what they’ve accomplished, all the while doing it for almost 40 years, they were truly a world wide inspiration to a lot of bands out there. How does that make you feel?

ALEXANDER: Reign-In-Blood-era Tom Araya was a huge inspiration for my vocals on this album. Just raw, unfiltered anger with a lot of attitude. They have done so much for metal over the years, but all great things come to an end. Great things that don't end often go sour, and then they aren't great things anymore, are they? It's like how death makes life matter. I'm getting a bit philosophical here. If you want you could just insert a recent picture of Axl Rose here and everybody would know what I'm talking about.

MPAP: How far down the road do you think about what Letters From The Colony can do and will accomplish in the future? Have you thought beyond 5 years, and possibly 10 years yet?

ALEXANDER: We definitely have a lot more to give, and I'm really looking forward to making another album, but I'm not the kind of person who plans ahead much. For me it's all about the music, so I guess my ultimate goal is just to leave a legacy of great albums behind me, or albums that I'm proud of anyhow—music is a subjective thing, lest we forget. I could definitely see us headlining some of our bucket-list festivals within 10 years, but that's not the goal.

MPAP: Touching on another quote, but this time it’s taken from the BIO section found on your website, it reads; 'The sky is truly the limit for Letters From The Colony, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent as they prepare for an exciting year both on and off the road.' Continuing on about Slayer again who has been on the road and around the globe many times, can you even begin to imagine being together as a band for that long and going out on tour practically every year in and year out? Then add on top of that of being away from loved ones, family and friends for very long periods of time. Life out on the road can be tough? I guess my question is, are you prepared for that? Or will you just take it day by day?

ALEXANDER: I see touring as a job, not as something you need to do to be a successful musician or the biggest band in the world. You go on the road for a few months (or years, in the case of Slayer), sell a bunch of tickets and t-shirts and then you go home and count your earnings. If you're a big band you make a lot of money (Tom Araya is good for $14 million), and if you're a lesser-known band you might need to tour 11 months out of the year to make a decent living. It's a way of life for some people, but it's not needed if all you're looking to do is make a name for yourself. In fact, it's a pretty inefficient way to spread your music in the internet age. When we go on the road it's gonna be all about the good times — meeting fans, seeing new places and making new friends. We're really looking forward to bringing the live experience to people, we've been practicing our set for years and are probably as ready as we're ever going to be. There are some sacrifices that you have to make, but hopefully we can find a good balance.

MPAP: Life on the road can also be excessive in many ways, especially drugs and alcohol. Times have changed a little, now bands are working out more, eating healthy, and there just isn’t a lot going on backstage anymore. How do you stay focused and make sure not to get caught up in the debauchery of the metal genre lifestyle?

ALEXANDER: Healthy eating? No, none of that. Beer for breakfast and cereal for dinner all the way.

MPAP: Let’s go back to talking about Vignette again, come back around to it full circle to finish this interview. This was taken from the BraveWords website and reads, 'Letters From TheColony build upon the intersection between perfection and ordered chaos; the unbridled joy of experimentation and virtuosic instrument mastery and create their new niche compartment of technically challenging extreme metal. They deliver highly complex songs full of unbound aggression and progressive structures in the vein of Meshuggah, Opeth, and Gojira, and also do not shy away from playing saxophone with a guitar or sampling the call of a deer into a track.' A couple things, how does it feel to be brought up in the same sentence being compared to bands like Mesuggah, Opeth, and Gojira? Those are some heavy hitting bands that have been around for a while, and Letters From The Colony is practically still wet behind the ears? This must make you feel good?

ALEXANDER: It's a bit like being a Chihuahua pup in a cage full of Rottweilers. Are they going to accept us? Will they let us into the pack? Can we play together? You don't really know. At first I guess we sort of loathed being compared to any band of any genre — we didn't want to be known as Little Gojira Jr. just because they were a big inspiration for us when writing some of the songs. Nowadays we think it's flattering to be likened to some of our heroes; we're realising that it's more of a for-fans-of kind of thing.

MPAP: What about the last part of the BraveWords quote? Explain the saxophone and the deer call sample found on the song "Vignette". By no means are those things bad at all, just usually not two things found in a metal song.

ALEXANDER: The title track's got most of the weirdness that the magazines like to write about, haha. The saxophone is a Pink Floyd thing, I think. Sebastian is a huge fan of them, and we spent a lot of time figuring out how we were going to do it. We needed something that we could recreate live, so we ended up using a virtual instrument that Sebastian could control with his guitar. He bought one of those Roland MIDI-pickups that we strapped to a Fender Strat and then we just went for it. The deer call sample is just another one of those great 3 A.M. ideas, I guess. You'd have to ask Sebastian.

MPAP: On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Alexander, for doing this interview. We look forward to what Letters From The Colony does in 2018 and beyond. Before we finally bring this to a close, any last words for all your fans out there worldwide?

ALEXANDER: My pleasure! Vignette is our pocket-full-of-dreams album. We started with just a bunch of songs and ended up on the roster of the biggest independent record label for metal in the world. I can't tell you how special it feels to know that people are actually listening to our stuff—people who might have never heard of us if it weren't for blogs and magazines such as this one. If you, the reader, made it this far: thank you for caring. I hope to be in your ears soon. Perhaps this afternoon, in the bathroom, when no one is looking.